Was he'd out? That doesn't even make sense. I mean, grammatically, that's just...what? Oh, Washed Out. Why is it formatted like...never mind. Bedroom producer Ernest Greene, aka Washed Out, is one of the most well-known artists in the fairly recent chillwave scene. Chillwave is a style defined by dreamy, repetitive synth loops and filtered vocals, sort of like synthpop on Vicodin. Within and Without is Greene's first full-length, coming on the heels of last year's critically acclaimed EP Life of Leisure. The cover of the record is very appropriate; these songs are great for relaxing in bed, or doing other things that involve beds.
Most of the songs on Within and Without are pretty simple, but that isn't a mark against them. These tracks ebb and flow gracefully, repeating gorgeous synth line after gorgeous, reverberant synth line. For the most part, the vocals just act as another instrument, filtered so much that it's nearly impossible to tell what Greene is saying. These songs don't need stories, they simply excel at being meditative and just generally pleasant.
The record is pretty much a perfect length, and that length is not too long, because even the most beautiful synths get boring when every song is pretty much structured the same. In fact, nearly every song incorporates the same instrumentation, with the exception of the last one (which dumps the synth for *gasp* plain ol' piano). It's also pretty frontloaded, with the first four tracks probably being the standouts. But boy, are they standouts. "Amor Fati" and "Eyes Be Closed" are soaring, uplifting tracks that burst with color and joy. Closer "A Dedication" features a very pretty piano line and is a perfect note to end on. Unfortunately, some of the tracks in the middle can be a little laborious, especially the lengthy and slow "You and I." But the even longer "Soft" proves that if the music is good enough, it doesn't matter how long the song goes on.
Within and Without is a pretty good record all things told. While I don't think it will age well as a focusing listening album, it is wonderful, chilled-out background music, and I'm sure the first few tracks will be mainstays on my listenin rotation for a while yet. 3.9/5.
hey! this is johnny from work. this definitely makes me wanna check out the album.. i have the npr stream up, we'll see how this goes. here's the link to that patrick stump song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFJmmgqYqRM (hope this doesn't lose me too much credibility lol)
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